This invention pertains generally to machinery for removing insulation from electrical wires or cables and particularly to machinery of such type which incorporates heating and cutting means to effect such end.
In the production of electrical apparatus, it is often necessary to provide means for making an electrical contact at a preselected point, or different preselected points, of the run of an insulated wire or cable. When the electrical apparatus being produced is of any degree of complexity, it is quite common for different types and sizes of insulated wire or cable to which such electrical contacts are to be made to be used.
One known way to effect an electrical contact along the run of an insulated wire or cable is to crimp an appropriately shaped connector at each desired point. Such a connector includes a portion which, in the process of crimping, cuts through the insulation to effect the desired electrical connection. The use of such appropriately shaped connectors offers a convenient and inexpensive way to make electrical connections to insulated wire or cable. However, in applications wherein the resistance of such connections must remain low for long periods of time under adverse environments, the use of crimped connectors cannot be tolerated.
A more certain known way to effect an electrical connection at a preseelected point, or at preselected points, along the run of an insulated wire or cable is to remove a portion of the insulation so that a more permanent electrical joint may be made (as by soldering or welding) between the so-exposed wire or shield and other elements of the electrical apparatus. In one known way of stripping insulation along the run of a wire or cable, a thermal scoring tool (meaning a tool having a narrow heated working surface shaped to fit around the periphery of the wire or cable being processed) is used. The ends of the portion of the run of wire or cable from which the insulation is to be removed are successively positioned in the thermal scoring tool and small rings of the insulation are melted and removed. The insulation on the run between the small rings is then cut and peeled off to expose the desired lenght of wire or shield.
Obviously, the just-outlined method of exposing a preselected portion of the wire or shield underlying a run of insulated wire or cable is not one which may be easily and inexpensively applied in the manufacture of electrical apparatus of extremely high quality. That is to say, the requisite peeling operation must be carried out with skill and care to avoid damage to the wire or shield being exposed.